Jacketed reaction nozzle with hollow spiral vanes for rocket motors



7, 1951 1 R. H. GODDARD JACKETED REACTION NOZZLE WITH HOLLOW SPIRALVANES FOR ROCKET MOTORS Original Filed Nov. 1, 1947 INVENTOR. M131 7.Goddmmfi, Dec'o.

fl y Ai ORN EY ROLLER BEA RING ROLLE BEA R/NG fww. 77

BY 63% G. (50aHazd,

ROLLER BEA/Q/NG ROLLER BEAR/N6 iatented Aug. 7, 1951 JACKETED REACTIONNOZZLE WITH HOL- LOW SPIRAL VAN TORS ES FOR ROCKET MO- Robert H.Goddard, deceased, late of Annapolis,

M1, by Esther C. Goddard, exccutrix, Worcester, Mass, assignor ofone-half to The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Original application November 1, 1947,Serial No.

783,593, now Patent No. 2,523,011, dated September 19, 1959. Divided andthis application December 19, 1949, Serial No. 132,356

3Claims.

This invention relates to combustion apparatus of the general type inwhich a rotating combustion chamber is provided with a rearwardly opendischarge nozzle, and is a division of original application Serial No.783,593 filed November 1, 1947, and issued as Patent No. 2,523,011 onSeptember 19, 1950.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a rotatingcombustion chamber having improved means for centrifugally feedingcombustion liquids to said chamber and for cooling the walls of saidchamber.

Provision is also made for centrifugally supplying a tangential film ofa cooling liquid within the combustion chamber and for jacketing andcooling the discharge nozzle. A novel construction of hollowliquid-cooled spiral vanes is also provided in the nozzle for rotatingthe combustion chamber.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig.1 is a sectional elevation of a combustion chamber showing theinvention; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line2-4 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, a combustion chamber C is shown, which issupported for rotation in roller bearings indicated at It and Ii.

The combustion chamber C comprises a conical upper inner wall portion 20and a reversed conical lower inner wall portion 22. The adjacent edgeportions 23 and 24 of the wall portions II and 22 are spaced apart toprovide an annular recess 25 within which mixing of the combustionliquids may take place.

An outer wall portion 39 encloses a conical recess l I outside of thewall portion 1|, and a conical outer wall portion 3| encloses a conicalrecess 35 outside of the wall portion 22.

A combustion liquid, as liquidoxygen, may be fed through a pipe ornozzle to the upper end of the recess II, and the lower edge portion 23of the inner wall portion is provided with openings ll through which theliquid oxygen may be sprayed into the mixing recess 25. The upper innerwall portion 20 has a tubular upward extension 44 surrounded by anannular opening 45 through which the liquid oxygen is supplied.

A second combustion liquid, as gasoline, is supplied from a pipe ornozzle 59 through an annular opening 5| at the lower end of the annularrecess 35, and this liquid fuel is sprayed into the mixing recessthrough openings 52.

Radiating vanes 55 are provided in the upper recess ill, by which vanesthe liquid oxygen is given a whirling motion and is caused to flowtoward the spray openings 4| by centrifugal force. The construction andoperation of the vanes 55 correspond to the construction and operationof the vanes or partitions 51 which are provided in the annular recess35, and by which vanes the gasoline is caused to flow by centrifugalforce toward the spray openings 52. Similar vanes are shown in detail inFig. 3 of Goddard Patent No. 2,395,403, issued February 26, 1946.

20 The two combustion liquids are effectively 25 of the upper outer wall30, and this recess is provided with radiating partitions 64 (Fig. 2) bywhich water delivered through a pipe or nozzle 65 is caused to flow to aplurality of tubes 66 which extend tangentially through the upper end ofthe recess 35 and supply water in tangential streams to spray openings61 in the lower inner wall portion 22.

Thetangential direction of these streams, together with the rapidrotation of the chamber, causes the water to form a cooling film on theinner wall of the combustion chamber and to thus protect the wall fromthe very high temperature of the combustion gases.

It is desirable that the tubes 66 pass through the recess 35 containinggasoline, rather than through the recess ll containing liquid oxygen, asotherwise the water would freeze and plug the tubes before it reachedthe combustion chamber.

The conical wall of the nozzle N is preferably displaced inward asindicated in Fig. 1 to form hollow spiral vanes 90, which vanes reactwith the combustion gases to rotate the combustion chamber as the gasesare discharged through the nozzle. These hollow vanes communicatethrough lengthwise-extending slots 92 with the annular aecaoaa recess 82within the jacket casing 88 and containing cooling liquid, and thehollow vanes 96 are open at their lower ends as indicated at 9| fordischarge of the cooling liquid or vapor. The vanes 90 are thuseifectively cooled, and the cooling liquid is conveniently dischargedinto the gas stream. The cooling liquid for the jacket recess 82 may besupplied through an annular opening in the upper end of the jacketcasing 8! from a pipe or nozzle 85.

Very eflective provision is thus made'for feeding combustion liquids tothe chamber C under centrifugal force and for feeding a cooling liquidas water to the jacket spaces 63 and 82. Eflective provision is alsomade for thoroughly mixing the sprays of combustion liquids and forsupplying the mixed liquids and vapors to the combustion chamber C.

Having thus described the invention and'the advantages thereof, it willbe understood that the invention is not to be limited to the detailsherein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what isclaimed is:

1. In a rotated combustion chamber having a conical rearwardly-opendischarge nozzle, in combination, an outer casing providing an annularconical jacket space about said nozzle, radiating vanes in said jacketspace, means to supply cooling water to said jacket space at the smallerend thereof, and hollow spiral vanes in said nozzle having longitudinalopenings to said jacket space and having discharge openings in the rearends of said hollow spiral vanes adjacent the blast of discharge gases.

. a 2. The combination in rotated combustion chamber as set iorthinclaim 1, in which the spiral vanes comprise folded and inwardlydisplaced portions of said nozzle wall and in which said i'oldedportions are slightly spaced to provide slots extending lengthwise ofsaid vanes and communicating with said jacket space.

3. In a rotated combustion chamber having a conical rearwardly-opendischarge nozzle, in combination, an outer casing providing an annularconical jacket space about said nozzle, means to supply cooling water tosaid jacket space at the smaller end thereof, and hollow spiral vanes insaid nozzle having longitudinal openings to said jacket space and havingdischarge openings in the rear ends of said vanes adjacent the blast ofdischarge gases, and said combustion chamber being rotated by thereaction of the discharging combustion gases on said spiral nozzlevanes.

ESTHER C. GODDARD, Executria: of the Last Will and Testament of RobertH. Goddard, Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,354,151 Skoglund July 18, 19442,395,114 Goddard Feb. 19, 1946 2,408,112 Truax et al Sept. 24, 1946

